Philadelphia [Includes Digital Copy] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray]

Director: Jonathan Demme Jonathan Demme

Overview

At the time of its release, Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia was the first big-budget Hollywood film to tackle the medical, political, and social issues of AIDS. Tom Hanks, in his first Academy Award-winning performance, plays Andrew Beckett, a talented lawyer at a stodgy Philadelphia law firm. The homosexual Andrew has contracted AIDS but fears informing his firm about the disease. The firm's senior partner, Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards), assigns Andrew a case involving their most important client. Andrew begins diligently working on the case, but soon the lesions associated with AIDS are visible on his face. Wheeler abruptly removes Andrew from the case and fires him from the firm. Andrew believes he has been fired because of his illness and plans to fight the firm in court. But because of the firm's reputation, no lawyer in Philadelphia will risk handling his case. In desperation, Andrew hires Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), a black lawyer who advertises on television, mainly handling personal injury cases. Miller dislikes homosexuals but agrees to take the case for the money and exposure. As Miller prepares for the courtroom battle against one of the law firm's key litigators, Belinda Conine (Mary Steenburgen), Miller begins to realize the discrimination practiced against Andrew is no different from the discrimination Miller himself has to battle against. The cast also includes Antonio Banderas as Andrew's partner, Joanne Woodward as Andrew's mother, and Stephanie Roth as Joe's wife.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/27/2018
UPC:	0043396544093
Original Release:	1993
Source:	SONY PICT
Language:	English
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	5,248

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tom Hanks	Andrew Beckett
Denzel Washington	Joe Miller
Joanne Woodward	Sarah Beckett
Ron Vawter	Seidman
Antonio Banderas	Miguel Alvarez
Mary Steenburgen	Belinda Conine
Robert Ridgely	Walter Kenton
Paul Lazar	Dr Klenstein
Bradley Whitford	Jamey Collins
John Bedford Lloyd	Matt Beckett
Andre Blake	Young Man in Pharmacy
Robert Castle	Bud
Molly Hickok	Molly Beckett
Dan Olmstead	Randy Beckett
Daniel Chapman	Clinic Storyteller
Elizabeth Roby	Elizabeth Beckett
Ann Dowd	Jill Beckett
Tracey Walter	Bibliotekarz
Obba Babatunde	Jerome Green
Charles Napier	S¿dzia Garnett
Roger Corman	Pan Laird
Roberta Maxwell	S¿dzia Tate
Buzz Kilman	`Crutches'
Karen Finley	Dr Gillman
Anna Deavere Smith	Anthea Burton,Actor
Stephanie Roth	Rachel Smilow
Kathryn Witt	Actor
Dodie Demme	Actor
Kenneth Utt	Actor
James B. Howard	Actor
Charles Techman	Actor
Jason Robards	Charles Wheeler
Daniel Von Bargen	Jury Foreman
Jim Roche	Actor
Howard Feuer	Actor
Adam LeFevre	Jill's Husband
Gary Goetzman	Guido Paonessa
Jordan Cael	The Jury
Harry Northrup	The Jury
Steve Vignari	The Jury
Howard Shore	Composer
Lawrence Wrentz	The Jury
Lisa Summerour	Lisa Miller
Charles Glenn	Actor
Donna Hamilton	Angela Medina
Tony Fitzpatrick	Bartender
Ira Flitter	Andrew's Friend
Jason Robards Sr.	Charles Wheeler
Gene Borkan	Bailiff
Stephanie Roth Haberle	Rachel Smilow
Bruce Springsteen	Composer
Lucas Platt	Robert
Neil Young	Composer
Randy Fink	E.R. Doctor
Mark Sorensen Jr	Actor
Jeffrey Williamson	Actor
Lisa Talerico	Actor
Chandra Wilson	Chandra
Ford Wheeler	Alan
David Drake	Bruno
Peter Jacobs	Peter/Mona Lisa
Freddie Foxxx	Hospital Patient
Paul Moore	Hospital Patient,Lydia Glines
Warren Miller	Mr. Finley
Lauren Roselli	Iris
Lewis Walker	"Punchline"
Joey Perillo	Filko
Bill Rowe	Dr. Armbruster
Dennis Radesky	Santa Claus
Glen Hartell	Library Guard
John Ignarri	Young Man in Library
Richard Ehrlich	Young Man in Library

Technical Credits

Ron Nyswaner

Jonathan Demme	Director,Producer
Ron Bozman	Executive Producer,Producer
Howard Feuer	Casting
Gary Goetzman	Executive Producer,Producer
Edward Saxon	Producer
Kenneth Utt	Executive Producer,Producer
Ron Nyswaner	Screenwriter
Ron Bochar	Sound Effects
David Boulton	Sound Effects
Laura Civiello	Sound Effects
Janos Pilenyi	Special Effects
Robert Castellanos	Sound Effects
Kam Chancellor	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Widely noted as the first mainstream studio film to deal with AIDS, and featuring two of the world's biggest actors (Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington), Jonathan Demme's moving, well-intentioned drama, despite its naysayers, is a challenging and sometimes surprising work. Both leads (especially Hanks, in his first Oscar-winning role) deliver wonderfully nuanced portrayals, and Demme's signature touches (particularly the potent use of close-ups and music) are perfectly suited to this material. Denounced by many gay audiences as timid and tentative about its central romantic pairing (Hanks and Antonio Banderas) -- not to mention its eagerness to please mass American viewers -- the film nonetheless benefits from its decency and warm approach in dealing with its characters. For whatever missteps the film makes (framing a deeply tragic character study within the auspices of a courtroom drama, for one), its emotions are indelible and its risk-taking is appreciated. Bruce Springsteen won an Oscar for his haunting, elegant opening-titles theme, "Streets of Philadelphia," and in an odd case of art imitating life, Hanks' tearful, memorable Oscar acceptance speech (where he thanked his gay acting teacher from years back) became the source material for the 1997 comedy In & Out, starring Kevin Kline.

All Movie Guide - Jason Clark